The Stanley Cup playoffs don't actually start for another few months, but if you look at the standings right now in mid-January 2026, the picture is getting pretty wild. Honestly, the term teams left in the playoffs NHL usually refers to that frantic elimination period in May, but the "playoff race" is already a bloodbath.
We just passed the midway point of the 2025-26 season. We've got the Olympic break in Italy coming up fast in February, and teams are playing like their lives depend on every single point before they ship their stars off to Milan.
The Current Hierarchy: Who’s Actually In?
If the season ended tonight, January 16, 2026, the bracket would look like a mix of "the usual suspects" and some genuinely shocking basement-to-penthouse stories.
In the Eastern Conference, the Tampa Bay Lightning are absolutely torching the league. They’re sitting on 61 points with an 11-game win streak. Andrei Vasilevskiy looks like he's found a fountain of youth, and Nikita Kucherov is casually putting up MVP numbers again. Following them closely are the Detroit Red Wings and, surprisingly, the Montreal Canadiens.
The Atlantic Division is a meat grinder.
Over in the West, it’s the Colorado Avalanche show. They have a ridiculous 33-4-8 record. Nathan MacKinnon is playing a different sport than everyone else. But look at the Utah Mammoth—in only their second season since moving from Arizona, they are hanging around the wild card spots. It’s localized madness.
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Teams Left in the Playoffs NHL: The Mid-Season Projection
When fans search for teams left in the playoffs NHL, they’re usually looking for the "if the season ended today" bracket. Based on the current points percentage and divisional seeding, here is how the 16 slots are shaking out:
Eastern Conference Seeding
- Tampa Bay Lightning (Atlantic 1)
- Carolina Hurricanes (Metropolitan 1)
- Detroit Red Wings (Atlantic 2)
- New York Islanders (Metropolitan 2)
- Montreal Canadiens (Atlantic 3)
- Philadelphia Flyers (Metropolitan 3)
- Toronto Maple Leafs (Wild Card 1)
- Pittsburgh Penguins (Wild Card 2)
Western Conference Seeding
- Colorado Avalanche (Central 1)
- Vegas Golden Knights (Pacific 1)
- Dallas Stars (Central 2)
- Edmonton Oilers (Pacific 2)
- Minnesota Wild (Central 3)
- Seattle Kraken (Pacific 3)
- San Jose Sharks (Wild Card 1)
- Los Angeles Kings (Wild Card 2)
The Surprises and the Slumps
The New York Rangers are arguably the biggest "what happened?" of 2026. They’ve dropped five in a row and are currently sitting outside the playoff bubble. It's weird seeing MSG quiet in January. On the flip side, the San Jose Sharks have pulled off a massive turnaround with Macklin Celebrini leading the charge. They’re currently holding down a wild card spot, which felt impossible twelve months ago.
The Florida Panthers, our defending back-to-back champs, are in a weird spot. They just visited the White House to celebrate their repeat, but they’re currently 7th in the Atlantic. They're only a few points out of a wild card, but the "Cup Hangover" might finally be real.
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Why the Olympic Break Changes Everything
This year is different because of the 19-day hiatus in February for the 2026 Winter Olympics. Usually, the trade deadline is the big "pivot point" for teams left in the playoffs NHL. This year, the pivot is health in Milan.
Imagine your top defenseman takes a slap shot to the foot playing for Team Sweden or Team Canada. That changes the entire playoff landscape in an afternoon.
GMs like Tom Fitzgerald of the New Jersey Devils are already feeling the heat. He recently went on record saying their play "isn't good enough." The Devils were supposed to be a lock, but they’re five points out of the second wild card. If they don't make a move before the March 6 trade deadline, they won't even be in the conversation.
Watch Out for the "Heavy" Teams
In the playoffs, the game slows down. It gets physical. This is why teams like the Winnipeg Jets and Dallas Stars are often more dangerous than their regular-season seed suggests. Dallas acquired Mikko Rantanen from Carolina last year, and he’s been their most consistent producer with 59 points so far.
Teams like the Boston Bruins are also lurking. They just retired Zdeno Chara’s No. 33, and that kind of "culture" win often sparks a run. They’re currently tied with Buffalo at 56 points, right on the edge of the divisional top three.
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Critical Factors for the Stretch Run
If you're betting on which teams left in the playoffs NHL will actually hoist the Cup in June, you have to look at three specific metrics:
- Special Teams: The Lightning are top five in both PP and PK. That wins series.
- Goaltending Depth: With the Olympics, starters will be tired. Look at the Minnesota Wild—Filip Gustavsson and Jesper Wallstedt are rocking a combined .918 save percentage. That's a tandem that can survive a grueling schedule.
- The Trade Deadline (March 6): Keep an eye on the Toronto Maple Leafs. They’re in a wild card spot, but they have the cap space to make a splash. If they land a top-four defenseman, they move from "pretender" to "contender" instantly.
How to Follow the Race
The standings change every single night. Tonight, the Sharks take on the Red Wings, and that game alone could flip the wild card standings in the West.
The best way to stay ahead is to watch the "Games in Hand" column. The Red Wings have played 48 games, while the Lightning have only played 45. Those three extra games for Tampa could mean a six-point swing, widening the gap even further.
Next Steps for Hockey Fans:
Check the official NHL standings tonight after the West Coast games wrap up. Specifically, look at the Metropolitan Division—the gap between 2nd and 6th place is only six points. One bad week for the Islanders or Flyers, and the Rangers or Devils could be right back in the bracket. Monitor the injury reports coming out of the Olympic rosters in early February; that is where the real playoff seeding will be decided.